Comment on California Tiger Salamander Plight

The story of the imperiled California Tiger salamander is a story of incremental and relentless destruction. Californians going about their daily lives may not often think about the destruction of recharge areas necessary to store groundwater, or the loss of floodplains and wetlands that purify and slow rushing waters, but it is happening and the salamanders and oer water dependent species are living it. Although the rare, slow moving, and gentle salamander continues to be squeezed even though it has protection under the law, the development community and many local governments continue to press for more usuprtation of the land.

The law means nothing to some people and when they they break the law, it is critically important that a prosecution of these activities occurs.

Clive Bundy escaped prosecution in 2014, and in 2016 embolden, took over a publically owned wildlife refuge with other violent, unpatriotic, and armed members of militiias. The last thing we need now is an embolden militant anti-government and anti-nature movement. The prosecution of over 70 of these armed thugs, who would see public lands sold cheaply to big meat producers and oil and gas development, is occurring. Like with the California Tiger Salamander, the laws exist for a reason and enforcement of these laws is key.